Thanks for helping
Yolo County CASA is grateful for the community’s generous contributions during the season of giving. Big thanks goes out to the Davis Athletic Club and their patrons for the many toys and books donated in the month of December; the Woodland Opera House and its patrons for the very successful luggage drive; and to staff and patients of Tan Orthodontics for hosting the giving tree for the foster youth served by our volunteer court appointed special advocates. These efforts certainly brightened the holidays of our CASA kids.

Special thanks also goes out to each and every individual who responded to Yolo CASA’s annual appeal letter. Response was especially strong this year, due to a benefactor’s special pledge to double all donations received. This generous community support will allow us to recruit, train and support more volunteers who will advocate for youth in the foster care system.

Our CASAs make sure these children receive the services they need to be safe and to thrive. They speak for the child’s best interests and build relationships that last a lifetime.

When our CASA children ask “does anyone care about me?” We will tell them the truth. You do.

For more information, or to reserve tickets for our annual dinner in March, please visit our website at www.yolocasa.org.

GINNI DAVIS & TRACY FAUVER
On behalf of the Yolo County CASA Board of Directors

Editor’s note: ‘CASA’ stands for “Court Appointed Special Advocates.” The Yolo CASA website describes the organization as made up of “trained and court-appointed volunteers who advocate on behalf of abused children and at-risk youth.” The volunteers are matched with kids who need a voice as they move through the foster care system.

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Enjoy ‘Page from the Past’
I really enjoy your News-Ledger, particularly the “Page from the Past.” I am entering my eighties and I was raised in the old Washington Township area. I knew many of the people from that time who are in the Page from the Past. That was a good time to be a kid in that little town. Everybody knew everybody else and we couldn’t get into too much trouble.

JIM DERR
PEORIA, ARIZONA

Editor’s note: The “Page from the Past” appears occasionally in the News-Ledger. We use reproductions of pages from the old Yolo Independent newspaper, which served the part of “East Yolo” that has become West Sacramento.
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Guards for the schools
Americans use armed guards to protect our money, our politicians and even our president’s children. How could our school children be protected by armed guards?

The Pearl High School shooter surrendered to Vice Principal Joel Myrick. Veteran Myrick had run about half a mile to retrieve a pistol legally locked up outside the school zone, but the shooter still had ammunition and was bound for Pearl Junior High School. The Appalachia School of Law shooter surrendered when Tracy Bridges and Mikael Gross ran back with pistols kept in their vehicles.

Roughly half of public shooters suicide when confronted with armed defenders. This was the case in Stockton (1989), Columbine (1999), and Sandy Hook.

There is evidence our children would be safer even when the shooter engaged in a gunfight with the defender. I do not recall the Diane Sawyer paintball re-enactments resulting in any students being hit. All the shooter’s bullets were aimed at the armed defender as was experienced by Ken Hammond at the Trolley Square Mall and by hero Mark Wilson at the Tyler, Texas courthouse.

The two Columbine shooters were able to drive off the first defender with rifle fire. The defender escaped to all in reinforcements and describe the shooters. The bullets fired at the defender did not kill children, nor did the defender’s.

RICHARD KESTER
WEST SACRAMENTO

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